Sun take Cy-Fair ex Ogwumike No. 1 in WNBA draft

2of2Baylor guard Odyssey Sims celebrates a basket against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half of their NCAA women's college basketball tournament regional semifinal at the Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, March 29, 2014. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)Photo: Paul Sancya, STF

This time, it was Chiney Ogwumike who had her night.

The former Cy-Fair star and two-time Stanford All-American was selected No. 1 by the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA draft Monday night, two years after her sister Nneka was the top pick of the Los Angeles Sparks.

"Watching (Nneka) do it made me competitive and hungry," Ogwumike said. "She's a great role model. I used it as motivation to get me where I am today."

Here's a bit of trivia: The Ogwumike sisters join the NFL's Peyton and Eli Manning as the only siblings to be drafted No. 1 in the history of the four major U.S. professional sports.

"We have bigger goals, bigger aspirations," Ogwumike said. "We want to hopefully bring our team championships. This is a great milestone, but at the same time, we just want to win games."

Baylor point guard Odyssey Sims, who became only the second women's college player to top 1,000 points in a season, was the second pick by the Tulsa Shock.

Ogwumike is the third consecutive former Houston-area prep star to be selected No. 1 in the WNBA draft, joining Nneka in 2012 and Nimitz's Brittney Griner (Phoenix) last year. Lindsey Harding, another Cy-Fair product, was taken with the top pick by Phoenix - and later traded to Minnesota - in 2007.

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Four tops Chiney Ogwumike became the fourth Houston-area player to be taken No. 1 in the WNBA draft:

Year Team Player Pos. High school College

2014 Connecticut Chiney Ogwumike F Cy-Fair Stanford

2013 Phoenix Brittney Griner C Nimitz Baylor

2012 L.A. Sparks Nneka Ogwumike F Cy-Fair Stanford

2007 Phoenix* Lindsey Harding G Cy-Fair Duke

* - traded to Minnesota on draft day.

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Cy-Fair connection

"To have that Cy-Fair connection shows how hard we worked in high school to get where we are today," Ogwumike said.

Ogwumike, a 6-4 forward, won the Wooden Award as college basketball's female player of the year after averaging 26.1 points and 12.1 rebounds while leading Stanford to the Final Four. She finished her four-year career as the top scorer (2,737 points) and rebounder (1,567) in Pac-12 history.

"This is a dream come true. Unbelievable," Ogwumike said. "I bet when I lay down in bed tonight, I'll be like, 'Wow, that was pretty cool.' "

The Ogwumike sisters have been linked at Cy-Fair and Stanford, but Chiney said it's important to establish her identity.

"We've merged almost as two individuals, but we're following our own paths on and off the court," Ogwumike said.

Fan favorite

After being selected, Ogwumike began to work the crowd, pumping her arms as she waved to the fans at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., which will be her home court, and calling Sun fans "arguably the best in the country."

Nneka, who attended Monday night's draft, had a playful response during an ESPN interview when asked about the sisters facing off for the first time July 13: "All I have to say: Connecticut, take care of Chiney. July 13, I'll take care of her."

Joseph Duarte has been a sports reporter for the Houston Chronicle since August 1996. He currently covers college athletics, focusing on the University of Houston. Previously, he wrote about the Houston Astros from 1998-2002, Houston Texans from 2002-05 and the Texas Longhorns from 2005-09. He came to the Houston Chronicle as part of an internship through the Sports Journalism Institute in 1995.